Clasp fastener



Aug. 3, 1943. Nov c 2,325,702

CLASP FASTENER I Filed Nov. 5, 1940 fig. Z

INYENTOR. A 0/4/7007 NOV/0r AT TORNEYS Patented Aug. 3, "1943 hailinga: central hudyi which; atj-v.

caching .legsextend; in. Qp im directions; Each leg; is; commonly formed; with I a central; opening barderedi by attachingrs prongsh; the:

prongs: being adapted to be driven through the back '1. of an envelope. and clinched to securethef fasizznenflrrnly' in place thereto. Thefffisteher; also includes; bendable armsiwhichextendin; (113+ pesite directionsflirom the: central body: pbrtion, the'arms lbeingydi'sposedr snbstamially at rightr V cei'ye plated coating. 1 I

anglespiioithe legs. the fiastenerpis-a pplied tome-passed through m openmg formedingthe; W

; Other objectsand ad closure flap-of the envelupe and mm foldedsoun,

lie bacl; to back with their flat surfaces in con tact, so' that theplating selutizm cannct reach I such surfaces. {Lhedesiredwcaating is thereiqrelf ne p liedm u h vi wsobje this drawback bl? so; that h that the entii e slsrfiace ofe, h

iastener will. re-

Another "object of he.- inirerition his to fireside, N infcrcing rib extends between the; bendable arms of; a" fastener by pressing as by means of a die, such a fastener sej ass. to

ward again substantially: tmtheh' .Otigirreilp,osi=- Fasteners of the kindreferred to are invariQl ablyrstairrpedzfmm malleahle sheet metall Duringthewmanuiacture" of: such; fastener-stile:

arms at 8;; substantial number become bentzontl of alignment with the body Dmtian amwithacach other: sa tmt; when. a l quantity of: such fasteners are placed in: the happen at atfiximg'machine w-mch a attaches the fasteners; to: envelopes; the, r

' bent; iasteners have. aatenflencyflto accumulate in the'rhmpper andxmaterially ;,re.tai1d; the opera:

ticn; cf.-:themach:ine ianddemtease. its productive ity. 1Itisanobject.ofithe mtesent invention to;

prevent the, bendingoi the 1m; oi the fiasteners; H

ci a reintcrclngflrihlformied on thefasi-g t eners at, thetimerofi their manuiaictme The formation of such a ribon, the fasteners; obviates it ndency of the f s en r: a ms tq become ntand, thus smve s h e mm lat Q b fasteners ,inthe hopper oi theattaqhingnra it chine. It has further been found that the provislen ef -such a reinforcing rib on thefasteners,

reduces the friction between them and certain or @hflQQl q p s ere-i 40 tion s fro thecentral bodvportiomandtsuhe I parts-of the aflixing machine andfacilitates the r thereof and form a long projecting ridge 6 which free travel of the fastenersfrom the hopper to the tool which affixes themto the envelopes. It is foundthat the use of such a. reinforced fas d tener substantially increasesthe output of an;

aflflxing machine.

1 It has also been found when plating ina plat ing basket, fasteners of theusual type in which the main body portion and arms of the .fast'ener are 'flat, that a; pair of adjacent.fastenersoften a will hereinafter appear;

11115 the invention; 1

M e gr -We we ee-e ee tw wit hawscomi ta nt forfi'nationr ofh ar n'tcrcing ridgep lie i ows; and; a

The fastener '15 Fig.1 omposed xi metal "and comprises. a central bodytheilegs ex ed h l s ae mwith central obenings 4,,eacht' bciricle'redyby1 a setl" of upstandin tifI'abgilIax attaching liloiiss" L5. The central portion" of thefastener is pressed by means of a suitable die to deform the metal extends along thelongitudinal axis of the arms-'3 and serves as a reinforcing rib to stifien the arms and preventthm from bending during the proc ess ,of'manufacture or while the fastenersare r being packed or transportedv to the machine I which aflixes them to the envelopes;

r The ridge 6 is preferably pressed in the faste ne ers before they are stampedro utiof a sheetmetal w. WW5

r ht-l angles] to the r direction-I in stripin a machine such as that disclosed in Patent No. 2,268,080 issued on December 30, 1941 in my name. In said patent a machine for making clasp fasteners from a strip of sheet metal is disclosed in which a first station is provided with a set offour punches arranged topunch upturned attaching prongsfor four clasp fasteners in the metal strip at spaced apart regions thereof. The

strip is then fed tofasecond station at which the four fasteners including their attached prongs are punched and separated fromthe strip. Ac

cording to the present invention, an extra set of four forming dies may be provided in such machine between the first and second-stations, these 7 dies being constructed to depress four reinforcing I for envelopes adapted for hopper feeding and comprising a central body portion, pronged legs extending laterally in opposite directions from the body portion, bendable arms extending lengthwise in opposite directions from the body portion,

said arms having zones of easiest-bending at the junctions of the arms with the body portion, and

a longitudinally extending reinforcing rib run-, 5

" ning substantially froman outer end of one arm ridges in the strip, one for each of the four fasteners-to be struck therefrom. ,Or, alternatively, 7

the ridge 6 may be pressed in the fasteners by means of a forming die in a separate machine to which the otherwisefinished fasteners are supplied; I r i In the preferred form'of the invention shown in Fig. 4, the ridge 6' is'notuniform in width throughout its length but is made somewhat narrower at the central body portion of the fastener as indicated at l tofaeilitate the bendingof the 1 arms 3 at the regionsfwhere they join the body portion of the fastener. The central portion 'l ofthe ridg'efi' may also be of lesser depth than theremainder' of the ridge to further facilitate such bending of the arms." a

I have described What -I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. 'I. do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to: cover by Letters Patent is'set forth in -th'e;appended claims.

I claim; i V j d 1. A thin sheet metal arm and leg fastener for envelopes comprising a central body portion, a

pair of attaching legs extending in opposite directions from the central body portion, eachof said legs being provided with a plurality of attaching prongs, a-pair of bendable arms also extending in opposite directions from the central body portion and at substantially right angles to the legs, the

central'part of saidarms and body portion being bent downwardly to form an arm reinforcing ridge adapted to obviate undesired bending'of the arms out of alignment with the central body por- 1 .tion.

pair of attaching legs extending inopposite directhin sheet metal arm and leg fastener for envelopes comprising a central body portion, a

through the body substantially to the outer end of the opposite arm, said reinforcing rib having portions which extendthrough the zones of easiest bendingbut being of no less rigidity in other portions of the arms than in said zones, whereby the zones of easiest bending are clearly defined adjacent the body but'even these zones are provided "with a predetermined, limited measure of reintions from the centra l body'portion; said legs being provided with attaching prongs, a pair of bendable arms also extending in opposite directions from the central body portion and at substantially'right angles to the legs, the central part of said arms and body portion being bent downwardly to form an arm reinforcing ridge, the

width'of said ridge being less throughout the central body portion than throughout the portions thereof'extending along the arms.

3. 'A'thimmalleable, sheet metal clasp fastener forcement to oppose accidental bending.

4. A thin, malleable, sheet metal clasp fastener for envelopes adapted for tumbling, plating and hopper feeding, and comprising a centralbody portion, attaching legs extending laterally in 0p,- posite directions from the body portion, saidlegs being formediwith central openings bordered by downwardly extending attaching prongs, arms 1 extending lengthwise in oppositedirections from the central body portion and of too great'width. to enter said openings, said arms having. zones ofeasiest bending at the junctions of the" arms with the body portion, and an upwardly 'pro-' j'ecting, longitudinally extending reinforcingrib running substantially from an outer end of one arm through the body substantially to, the outer endof theopposite'arm, said rib serving to pro- 'vide reinforcement against accidentalbending in the zones of'easiest bending at theijunctions of the arms with the body,- but being of no less crosssection and rigidity in the other portions of the:

armsthan in said zones of junction and serving therefore to reinforce the. arms and body against bendingso that the 'zones'of junction willbe.

definitely zones of easiest bending notwithstanding the reinforcement of said zones against bending, 1 U

5.]A thin, malleable, sheet metal clasp fastener for-envelopes adapted forhopper feeding and comprising a central body portion, .pronge'd legs extendinglaterally in opposite directions from the body portion, a bendable arm extending from the body portion substantially at right angles to the legs, said arm having a zoneof easiest bending at the junction of the arm with the body portion, and a longitudinally extending reinforcing rib running substantially from an'outer end of said arm into the body, said reinforcing rib hav-" ing a portion which extendsv through the zone of, easiest bending but being of no lessrigidityin other portions of the arm than in said zone, whereby the zone of easiest bend is clearly defined adjacent the body, but even thiszone is provided with a predetermined, limited measure of reinforcement to oppose accidental bending.

NOVICK. 

